Festival of the Lion

A New Role

It was time… A battle had begun with her revenge incarnate, and she stood face to face with him.

She readied for this moment, waiting for the most opportune time, and seeing a chance prepared to strike…

However…

Blood sprayed as two arrows swiftly entered Lai’thor’s chest. Saphirs head snapped to the Mordentian Ranger and a quick flash of anger sang through her eyes. Malice coursed through her. If the ranger had slain her nemesis, so help her, she would kill him right then and there.

But Lai’thor, on his last ounce of power, dripping in blood, still stood. Others stood back to defeat the other guard that still lived. Whether they had seen the hostility that flashed through Saphirs eyes at the ranger’s actions, she was not sure. But they were giving her the space she needed to finish the entity that had haunted her for well over 30 years.

As Lai’thor turned to her she sank her longsword into his stomach, the warm blood coursing down the blade. She came close to his ear and whispered “This is for my parents.”

With a quick twist of the blade she made him gasp. “This is for Apri.”

She pulled the bloody sword from his body, and his knees hit the floor. Moving with ease, she struck the final blow and severed his head. “And that was for me.” She flicked her sword to rid of it disgusting blood of the former Emperor.

Somewhere in the distance she heard the Paladin offer the last remaining guard safety if he surrendered. She couldn’t hear the reply. Her ears buzzed. Her goal, her one purpose in life, was complete.

She felt thrilled, excited, but empty. She had done what she set out to do. But now, what was left for her? She was only 122 years old; she had an entire 500+ years to go.

Lai’thors advisor stepped forward and called all to attention. He had helped Saphir and her group earlier with calling the 7 noble houses to vote Lai’thor out of power. The vote had passed, but only with Saphir stepping forward to reveal herself as the daughter of the 8th house of Apri. With his power lost, Lai’thor had snapped, and called his personal guard and himself to make a battlefield of the counsel room.

Bringing silence to the room, the advisor halted the chaos and called for the Lords and Lady’s of the other houses to action. Before word got out, they would need a new emperor to replace him. Saphir only vaguely listened, the buzzing still really the only thing that sank through to her.

One after another, houses casted votes for themselves. It was only she heard the Lord from Yen’sira speak did she snap back to attention.

“I call for the House of Apri’s Saphir as the new Empress.”

Murmers sang through the room. Saphir stood still, believing that her ears were deceiving her. When the house of Kivar gave its consent to Apri as well, Saphir had to fight to stay in control of her body. She couldn’t even begin to think… her as the Empress of Ethe’ron? Sure Lai’thor had offered her position more than once through marriage, but the thought of ever being with him made her shudder.

Seconds seemed to pass like hours. Her eyes straining to grasp every word the last houses said. It was as the final house spoke that Saphir could only stand in dumb silence…

She was the new Empress of Ethe’ron.

Her world tipped and spun. She had been so bent on revenge for so long, how in the hell was she supposed to run a country!?

But while she questioned herself, fate seemed to click things into place for her. With her ambition done, the gods seemed to place her where it needed her next. Here, in Ethe’ron.
As acceptance claimed her, she began to think of all that needed to be done, to be learned. She would have to heavily rely on her advisors-

The clapping and cheers from behind her snapped her from her thoughts. Her companions… What was she to do about them?

She could (and would) of course offer them what she could, but would she stay with them? Ethe’ron probably needed her here, but the war with the two warring nations escalating it would, of course, begin to show itself on its front lawn of Ethe’ron. Not to mention the fact of an evil being also knocking on the worlds door…

Saphir would have to excuse herself for a time from the group to decide what course of action to take.